''Stratovox'', known in Japan as ''Speak & Rescue'' (スピーク&レスキュー), is a 1980

fixed shooter Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs) are a Video game genre, subgenre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain typ ...

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily game of skill, games of skill and in ...

developed and published in Japan by Sun Electronics and released in North America by

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, Toy, toys, arcade cabinets, and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, Vending machine, vending machines, and Juk ...

. It is the first video game with

voice synthesis Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware products. A text-to-speech (TTS) system converts normal langua ...

. The player must shoot

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...

s attempting to kidnap astronauts that appear on the right side of the screen. If all astronauts are kidnapped, the game is over. Among the voices the player hears are the phrases "Help me, help me", "Very good!", "We'll be back", and "Lucky". The phrase "Help me" is played during

attract mode Since the origin of video games in the early 1970s, the video game industry, the players, and surrounding culture have spawned a wide range of technical and slang terms. 0–9 A ...

. The Japanese version of the game features Japanese speech, such as「助けて！」 ("Tasukete!") instead of "Help Me!"

Legacy

Bandits Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, kidnapping, and murder, e ...

'' from

Sirius Software Sirius Software was a California-based publisher of video games for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, and VIC-20. Most games were written for the Apple II, then ported to other systems. The company was founded in 1980 by Jerry Je ...

for the

Apple II Apple II ("apple Roman numerals, two", stylized as Apple ][) is a series of microcomputers manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1977 to 1993. The Apple II (original), original Apple II model, which gave the series its name, was designed ...

(1982) is a ''Stratovox'' clone where the player protects fruit instead of astronauts. ''Spider Fighter'' (1982) for the Atari 2600 also has the player protecting fruit, and ''Digital Press'' described it as ''Stratovox'' without voice.

References

External links

* 1980 video games Arcade video games Arcade-only video games Fixed shooters Single-player video games Sunsoft games Taito arcade games Video games developed in Japan {{arcade-stub

Legacy

See also

References

External links